UNCCD COP17: Water Security in Mining Regions: A Natural Capital Approach to Addressing Desertification

As an outcome of the four Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue, this event features the latest research from Stanford University’s Natural Capital Alliance and Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) on water-related risks in Mongolia’s mining sector. Using a natural capital approach, the research identifies water-related risks across existing and planned mining projects, assesses how these risks may evolve under future mining-development scenarios, and examines the policy, governance, and social challenges that shape water management and land resilience in mining regions. It will also consider how mining-related pressures on water and land may affect local agriculture, pastoral livelihoods, and food security. Particular attention will be given to managing competing demands for natural resources while safeguarding the resilience of rural communities and food-production systems.

Building on this research, the event will bring together international experts and partner institutions to connect Mongolia’s water and land challenges with wider experiences in climate resilience across the Third Pole and mid-latitude regions. The discussion will explore how natural capital, nature-based solutions, Earth observation and emerging technologies can support climate-resilient landscape management and restoration.

The event will also convene international experts, policymakers, development banks, and other financial and institutional stakeholders to discuss practical pathways toward more sustainable mining. The discussion will explore how natural capital and nature-as-infrastructure approaches can be incorporated into mining policy, project planning, environmental and social risk management, restoration, investment, and financing decisions.

This Blue Zone event is for UNCCD COP17 participants.